


Found Family

by Master_of_Procrastination



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Foster Family, Foster Care, Gen, Past Child Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-28
Updated: 2020-02-04
Packaged: 2021-02-19 09:43:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22442356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Master_of_Procrastination/pseuds/Master_of_Procrastination
Summary: When foster carer J'onn J'onzz receives a call about a child needing an emergency placement he was expecting it to be fairly standard, they would stay with him for a few days until a more fixed placement could be found. He'd always managed to keep a level of emotional distance from temporary placements, but something about this child was determined to get under his skin.
Comments: 13
Kudos: 67





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Finally found a bit of inspiration to write again. Will hopefully continue with Snapshots at some point but for now this idea would not leave me alone.

J’onn J’onzz had never planned on becoming a parent again, the loss of his wife and daughters had been a tragic accident but the idea of moving on had always felt like a betrayal to their memory. That he would be replacing everything they’d had. Alex and Kara Danvers had changed all that. 

J’onn had been friends with Jeremiah and Eliza a number of years becoming an honourary uncle to their daughters. When the Danvers’ had been involved in a car accident leaving Jeremiah and Eliza dead J’onn had stepped in when he discovered the girls, having no other family, would be sent into foster care. He had fought hard to be allowed to adopt them and have them remain with him. It had been a tough start with social services granting temporary custody while they assessed his suitability. But he’d soon convinced the case workers that the girls were in the right place.

He’d forgotten how much he loved children. He was good with them and social services had noticed his natural easiness around them and his ability to deal with tough situations. They’d asked if he was willing to become a registered foster carer, J’onn had declined to begin with. He had his hands full with Kara and Alex and they were his priority. However as the months progressed and everything settled down he reconsidered the proposal. Social services had been thrilled but J’onn had insisted on no long term placements. Emergency short term only, he’d become the interim between more permanent homes. 

It was an arrangement that had worked surprisingly well with Alex and Kara doing their best to welcome all of their temporary guests. J’onn had managed to keep a level of emotional distance in his role for a number of years, not getting too attached to the children that passed through his home. He was able to provide the support any child required until they could move on to a more secure arrangement. Then he met Winslow Schott Jr. 

He had gotten the call in the early hours of the morning. An emergency placement was needed for a 13 year old boy. Things had gone sour in his current foster placement and none of the group homes had any spaces available. J’onn would be needed while they searched for a more suitable, permanent home. 

J’onn had let the girls know before they left for school that they would have a guest for a few days. Alex had nodded in understanding, Kara however had been excited over the prospect of someone staying nearer her age. Most of kids they had stay were under the age of ten and J’onn realised that adding another teenager may not be the best idea but at least it would only be for a few days. 

After dropping the girls off at school J’onn had driven straight to theoffices of Social Services. He was met with a familiar face as soon as he entered the building. Cat Grant, in J'onn's opinion was one of the best social workers he had ever worked with. She could sometimes come across as cold and severe but her no nonsense attitude and her desire to help the children in her care made her a force to be reckoned with.

“J'onn, it’s good to see you,”, she gave him a brief hug which J’onn returned happily,

“Hi Cat”, he greeted warmly, glancing behind her he saw who he assumed was the boy he was there for. He seemed small for his age but he looked like he had outgrown the clothes he was wearing. He also looked pale and exhausted, J’onn guessed he hadn’t slept much the night before. Cat followed his gaze her smile faltering slightly as she nodded towards the door of her office.

J’onn followed her inside taking a seat while she rifled through the mountain of paperwork looking for the correct file. Finally locating it Cat dropped it back onto the desk with a heavy thud before pulling her chair forward and sitting down. J'onn was a little concerned by the size of the kids file.

“This could be a tough one J'onn”, 

“Behavioural problems?”, J’onn was expecting some issues, it wasn’t unusual if there hadn’t been stability and judging from the records Cat had in front of her Winn had moved a lot. J’onn wasn’t too worried he’d handled several types of situations before.

“No nothing like that”, J’onn was actually a little surprised by her answer, “Winn’s a good kid, straight A student, tries to keep to himself”

“Then what’s his story”, it wouldn’t have been a planned move from his current home a new placement would have been lined up before moving him.

“His father’s in prison. He committed mass murder a few years ago, Winn was ten at the time. His mother disappeared the night of his father's arrest. We had no luck in tracking her down and she has made no attempt to contact him. He’s been around a bit since then. Some placements just don’t seem to work out, others realise what his father did and no longer want him. Some have turned unsuitable due to issues with other children in the home, Winn’s shy, and quiet, he's an easy target for bullies”.

J’onn took a deep breath as he let the information sink in. Cat was right this could be a tough case. Winn was definitely going to have some trust issues.

“What happened last night? How’d he end up back here”, J’onn didn’t know if he wanted to hear it but he needed to understand what the kid had been through.

“He was with the family for about six months, but his previous case worker hadn’t checked in beyond the first month”, Cat sounded angry J’onn was too and he suspected that the social worker responsible had been swiftly dealt with by Cat.

“He was abused?”

“From what we understand not physically, although he looks underfed and his clothes have seen better days. We got the call after he fainted at school. His foster parents admitted that they’d made him stay up all night cleaning as punishment for breaking a house rule. They thought we were overreacting, and that he was faking to get sympathy”.

“He hasn’t told you the details himself?”

“He hasn’t spoken since I picked him up. You could have your hands full here”,

J’onn sighed this was going to be a difficult few days. He made a mental note to get a message to the girls before they got home to warn them that Winn may be a bit too skittish to be met full force by Kara’s energy. He realised he’d stayed quiet long enough for Cat to look concerned.

“Don’t worry”, he smiled, “you haven’t scared me off I’m sure he’ll open up, he just needs some time”

“Am I ever going to find a case you don’t immediately jump into?”

“Probably not”, J’onn said with a laugh

“You better come meet Winn then”.

The boy barely looked up when they walked over just continued to stare at his feet. J’onn watched as Cat crouched gently in front of him. Despite the slow approach Winn still startled.

“Winn”, Cat said gently, “This is Jonn, you’re going to be staying with him for a while ok”, The boy looked absolutely terrified.

J’onn knelt down and tried to smile reassuringly at him. He tried to keep enough distance to not make the boy feel claustrophobic. Winn still managed to make himself look even smaller on the chair he was on. 

J’onn knew he could look intimidating which he would always blame it on his former career in law enforcement. He reached out to place a gentle hand on Winn’s shoulder pulling his arm back when Winn flinched. Maybe there had been more than just verbal abuse. 

The journey home was silent. J’onn had attempted to start conversation several times but got nothing from the boy. When they’d arrived back,, Winn had looked extremely lost stood in the middle of the living room. He also looked dead on his feet.

“Come on, I’ll show you to your room”

Winn followed obediently behind as J’onn led him to the spare room. It was cosy but mostly empty besides the necessary furniture. Afterall the room was meant for short stays. J’onn placed the bag that held Winn’s few possessions on the floor.

“Are you hungry?”, Winn continued to stare at the floor. “how about you get some sleep and I’ll make us some lunch when you wake up”.

Winn nodded. It was tentative but it was there. J’onn didn’t know whether to class that as a success. 

“I’ll be downstairs if you need anything ok”, he was met with another nod. 

Well it was something. He closed the door gently as he left hoping that Winn would be able to sleep. He made himself some coffee and sent a quick text to Alex to warn her that Winn had had it rough and would be in need of a quiet house for at least a couple of days. Alex replied quickly letting him know that she’d explain the situation to Kara. He really hoped that both he and the girls could make Winn feel safe during his stay.


	2. Chapter Two

It had been a few hours since J’onn had left Winn to rest and he was beginning to think he should go and wake him up in order to rescue his sleep schedule when a small noise to his right startled him. 

“It’s been a while since someone was able to sneak up on me”, J’onn smiled gently at Winn who was stood awkwardly in the doorway, “how about you make yourself comfortable and I’ll make us some lunch”. 

J’onn watched as Winn slowly made his way over to the sofa and sat down. J’onn had never been great at one sided conversations. He got up in order to head towards the kitchen but thought he better warn Winn about the girls so he could prepare himself.

“So my daughters will be home soon”, 

“you have daughters?”, The voice was small and J’onn tried not to audibly sigh in relief that Winn had finally spoken.

“Alex and Kara they’re 15 and 12. I was starting to worry I’d have to keep talking to myself”,

“Sorry”, Winn was looking at the floor again and J’onn could have kicked himself.

“There is no need to apologise Winn you’ve been through a lot, I’m also not the best at conversation at times. My daughters may be better company”. Winn’s face fell a little.

“Other kids don’t usually like me”

Jonn’s heart was really starting to ache for this kid

“What about your friends?”

J’onn was just met with a shrug. No wonder he was so shy the boy obviously felt completely alone. 

“Well Alex and Kara aren’t like other kids, trust me”, J’onn was being genuine and he was immensely proud of how welcoming his girls were to any one that came through his door but he could tell that Winn wasn’t convinced. 

J’onn wasn’t able to get much more out of Winn for the rest of the afternoon. Winn had excused himself after lunch, J’onn had discovered him buried in a book when he’d gone upstairs to check on him. Not wanting to disturb him he’d left Winn to it. 

The stillness of the house was shattered an hour later when Alex and Kara came through the door in the middle of some sort of argument. 

“Good day at school?”, J’onn called out to them he didn’t quite catch their answer but they soon appeared. Kara had never done subtlety well and J’onn was trying not to laugh as he watched her eyes immediately flick quickly through the house obviously looking for a sign of their guest. 

“He’s upstairs”, J’onn said

“I didn’t ask”, Kara answered too quickly

“No but you were going to”, J’onn smiled at her.

J’onn really hoped Kara didn’t pick any sort of career that required any bending of the truth, or handling any delicate topics. 

“Don’t go bothering him he’s had a rough few days, he’ll be down for dinner”

“Is he ok?”

“He’s been through a lot”, J’onn didn’t want to give too many details of Winn’s past that was Winn’s story to tell and only if he felt like it. J’onn also guessed his history was given away too freely to people and the boy had likely been given little ownership over his own story. 

Winn made an appearance just before dinner on his own accord which surprised Jonn. He’d quietly introduced himself to Kara after she took it upon herself to introduce herself and Alex. Kara didn’t exactly bombard Winn with questions but J’onn noticed how quickly he seemed to be becoming overwhelmed by Kara’s queries.

“Kara”, J’onn warned gently

“What I’m just being friendly”

“Yes but give Winn a chance to breathe”, Winn visibly relaxed as Kara apologised.

Kara had resisted asking any questions over dinner and topics of conversation had been mostly normal and despite best efforts by both girls Winn stayed mostly silent. He did insist on helping to clean up after they’d eaten. J’onn almost refused Winn still looked exhausted but he obviously just wanted to make himself useful. J’onn wondered if housework had been given to Winn in the past to pay his way. He really didn’t want to ask so instead handed Winn a towel as he moved over to the sink. 

They worked silently for a few minutes before J’onn brought up his plans for the next day.

“So I was thinking tomorrow, you and I could go shopping”

Winn almost dropped the plate he was currently drying. 

“Shopping?”, Winn sounded confused 

“You need new clothes”, Winn shook his head

“But they’re fine”

“They’re definitely not”,

“But what about school?”, Winn sounded disappointed

J’onn almost laughed. Most kids would have been excited over the prospect of missing school but he realised school was structure and even if Winn had moved a few times learning was probably an escape for him. 

“It’s Friday tomorrow. I’m sure school can wait until Monday”

“I have homework due”,

“I’m sure under the circumstances your teachers will understand it being late”

Winn still didn’t look convinced but nodded before continuing to dry the last of the items from dinner. At least the conversation had got Winn talking a bit more. 

“I’ll call them if there are any problems ok?” 

Winn looked at him a bit perplexed. J’onn was pretty sure he was right in thinking this kid had hardly had anyone in his corner before. J’onn really hoped that he could show Winn that not everyone saw him as a burden. 

“Come on we’ll see if the girls have finished their homework there might be time for a movie before bed”

Kara had immediately sat herself down on the sofa next to Winn when J’onn had mentioned watching a film. He’d looked a little uncomfortable but she’d given him plenty of space and he’d let her talk to him throughout the film. He didn’t give lengthy responses to any of her comments but Kara seemed happy that Winn was letting her talk to him. Winn only managed to last half the movie before succumbing to sleep. J’onn attempted to wake him unsuccessfully and had carried him up to bed making him realise just how small the kid was. He’d let Winn sleep in in the morning he obviously needed it.


	3. Chapter Three

It was after ten when Winn appeared the following morning. J’onn had sent the girls off to school on the bus in order to let Winn sleep as long as he needed. He’d looked slightly confused and still half asleep when he entered the living room.

“You let me sleep?”, Winn almost sounded suspicious.

“You were exhausted you needed it”, Jonn’s explanation just resulted in Winn looking more confused. J’onn doubted he’d been allowed to sleep in during the time he’d been in the system. He was glad to see that Winn looked a little bit brighter after the previous day’s events, letting him sleep had definitely been for the best even if Winn didnt think so. 

“So breakfast then shopping”, J’onn declared getting up from his seat. Winn still didn’t look to fond of the idea but nodded anyway.

The shopping experience had gone much smoother than J’onn had expected. At least with it being late morning everywhere was quieter, he was glad he hadn’t waited until the weekend, from what he knew of Winn so far he guessed crowds would not be something he would enjoy.

By the time they returned back to the house Winn at least had clothes that fit him. He’d thanked J’onn quietly on the way home. Winn was beginning to open up more and J’onn tried his best to make conversation about something other than his situation.

“So Winn what are your interests?”

“My interests?”, Winn sounded puzzled

“Yes, what are your hobbies? What do you do for fun?”

“I read a lot. I’m good at fixing things too”,

“Fixing things?”, J'onn's curiousity was piqued

“ I’m good at figuring out how things work. Like computers and stuff. The last place didn’t like it though”. Winn was definitely feeling bitter about the experience.

“They didn’t like that you could fix things?” J’onn realised where his question would lead as soon as he asked it and he wished he could take it back. 

“They thought it meant I was like my father. That I was dangerous” Winn kept his head down.

“Winn I want you to listen to me and listen carefully ok”, Winn kept his head down but nodded

“You are not like your father”, J'onn hoped his tone reflected the conviction he felt in that particular statement. Winn was still a kid he should not be worrying about his father's actions. 

“You don’t know that. No one knew what my dad was going to do until he did it”, Winn's small outburst suprised J'onn slightly. Having read Winn's file more time's than he should have he knew about the various domestic disturbance calls and hospital visits for years before his father commited murder but he was unaware that Winn had no knowledge of these events.

“Look at me”, J’onn waited to continue until Winn looked up and he could look him in the eye, “I’ve seen some of the files Winn there were signs. Other events. Your father was not a good man he didn't just wake up one morning and choose to do what he did. From what I've seen about him and what I've seen about you, you are not like your father”.

“you don’t know that”, Winn sounded broken. J’onn tried not to think of how many times he’d likelt been compared to the man who shared his name.

“I used to be a police officer. I dealt with many men like your father and you Winn are nothing like any of them”. J’onn wanted to reach out and hug the kid but he knew that had to be on Winn’s terms. He just hoped he could get through to him just a bit. J’onn was getting too attached and it had only been 24 hours. 

After the conversation Winn had gone back to hardly speaking. J’onn felt like he’d gone two steps backwards. He left Winn doing the homework he hadn’t had chance to do the night before and ducked into his office to call Cat for any updates. Cat didn’t have much to say other than it was unlikely Winn would be going anywhere for the next week at least. J’onn would have to have Alex and Kara continue getting the bus to school so he could drive Winn.. It was best not to try and move him from his school until there was a more permanent situation in place, although Cat still had no idea yet whether it would be a group home or foster family. 

Winn was still doing homework when he came out of the office. Although the book he was working from looked to be the same level as the one Alex was currently using which was not the level J’onn was expecting. Winn didn’t look up just kept working.

“Am I leaving?”, Winn actually sounded disappointed.

“Not until a permanent solution can be found which may be another week”. 

“It won’t be permanent. It never is, they always say it will be but it isn’t”. J’onn really didn’t know what it was about Winn but he was starting to get under his skin. He’d had dozens of kids pass through his door over the last few years and none of them had come close to affecting him as much as Winn Schott. 

J’onn decided to change the subject sitting down opposite Winn he motioned towards the maths problems he was working on.

“That looks hard”

“Its not too bad, some of my teachers think I need the challenge though”. From the way Winn answered J'onn guessed that this work may not be as challenging for him as his teachers believed.

J’onn was pleased at least there were some people who had Winn’s best interests in mind. The homework had also reminded J’onn of Cat’s comments about Winn’s grades. He couldn’t help but wonder if he’d had a more stable home life would have been placed in more suitable classes. He added it to the mental list he’d slowly been making since Winn had arrived of all the ways he’d been let down in his life. He got up to make them some lunch while Winn finished his work. 

By the time the girls arrived home from school Winn had completed all the work he had been set and J’onn sensed he was at a bit of a loss of what to do. He’d have to try and find a way to occupy Winn over the weekend.


	4. Chapter Four

J’onn shouldn’t have worried too much about how Winn would handle the weekend. Alex and Kara had given him enough space to settle in and J’onn had made sure Winn knew to help himself if there was anything he needed. With all his homework complete Winn had spent his time reading various books he found around the house. 

By the time Monday came around Winn, although still very quiet and skittish, had appeared to have recovered enough to return to school. Having all three kids at school allowed J’onn to catch up with errands and housework while also keeping his phone within reach just in case. The empty house did leave him too much space to think about Winn’s situation and what would happen when a new placement was found. If a new placement was found. He shook his head to try and clear that thought he’d only had the kid three days he didn’t need to start thinking about how what Winn needed was a definite permanent home and that he would be able to provide it.

Winn was pretty quiet on the drive home from school but J’onn put that down to the chaos of the classroom. Alex and Kara were already home when they entered the house. Both of them were sat at the table with books open working on homework. Without saying anything Winn walked over and joined them Kara looked slightly surprised but also really pleased when Winn took the seat next to her. J’onn watched from the doorway for a few minutes as all three silently got on with their work before turning away to go and start dinner.

Alex joined him some time later

“Homework done?”

“Mostly, I’ll finish it off later”, J’onn gave her a slightly disapproving look, “What? Winn and Kara have gone from working on Maths homework to discussing Star Wars”.

“They’re discussing Star Wars?”, J’onn wasn’t sure if he had heard her correctly. He’d definitely pegged Winn as someone who would likely be interested in Science Fiction but with how quiet he had been the last few days J’onn really hadn’t expected him to be having a full on conversation with Kara. Alex however had a knowing smirk on her face.

“You can’t be surprised J’onn, Kara can talk to anyone and she has the least threatening vibe of anyone we know”,  
J’onn laughed he knew it was true. Kara was also nearly the same age as Winn which likely made him feel safer. He quietly made his way towards the other room and was pleased to find Kara and Winn still sat at the table with school books open and forgotten as they continued to talk. He returned to the kitchen.

“I feel like that’s the most he’s spoken since he got here last week”, Alex started laughing, J’onn smiled back “I’m not complaining, means he’s starting to feel more settled.

“You will If It means he now never shuts up”. J’onn just continued to smile. 

J’onn should have known things wouldn’t stay calm for too long. It was nearing the end of Winn’s first full week living with them when the nightmare’s started. J’onn had been woken up by the sound as had Alex, although J’onn suspected Alex hadn’t yet been asleep, J’onn had rushed into Winn’s room to find the kid still half asleep but obviously distressed. When Winn had flinched as J’onn attempted to reach out he chose to keep his distance instead kneeling down at the side of the bed in order to offer reassurances without getting too close.

When Winn had finally calmed down enough to realise that he was in his room and not wherever he was in his head he started to apologise.

“I’m so sorry…I didn’t want to wake you up…please I didn’t mean to”, 

“It’s ok Winn, It was just a nightmare, no one blames you for anything alright?”

Winn nodded but stayed silent. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” J’onn knew he’d get the headshake but he thought it was worth a try. 

“Try and get some sleep ok? You know where I am if you need me I won’t be mad if you wake me up”, the look Winn gave him suggested to J’onn that the kid would definitely not be waking him up if he needed anything.

“or if you don’t want to bother J’onn you can come bug me”, J’onn had forgotten Alex was behind him but was relieved to see Winn relax a little. 

J’onn could see the initiall adrenalin from the nightmare was wearing thin and he left the kid to try and sleep. 

When he went downstairs the following morning Alex was already awake and sat at the table with coffee. He really needed to monitor the amount of coffee that girl drank.

“You’re up early”

Alex jumped slightly before meeting his eye

“Winn actually woke me up last night I didn’t think he would but he did. He kept apologising again and that he shouldn’t be acting like a baby”

“What did you do”

“Just let him talk he’s been through a lot J'onn. He knows this is only temporary and he’s scared you’ll send him away sooner if he’s a problem. I think the longer he’s here the more anxious he gets about where he’ll be next. I don’t think he’s used to people actually caring about him”.

“I get that too. His clothes were a big give away but I’m glad he opened up to you”.

“I’m a bit surprised thought he’d talk to Kara more than talk to me”.

“You do express Protective Big Sister really well”, J’onn chucked when Alex shot him a glare. 

“Any idea how long he’ll be here for?”

“None I’ll give Cat a call later, see if there’s any news”.

J’onn had offered the option for Winn to stay home but he’d been adamant he wanted to go to school. He did say he could get the school to call him at any point if he wanted to come home sooner. Winn didn’t look convinced. J’onn tried not to take it too personally that Winn was acting skittish around him again.

The phone call from Cat had the news that would normally be positive. A placement had been found for Winn at a group home several miles away. He’d need to move schools again but he could likely stay there indefinitely. This news however didn’t sit well with Jonn. The placement would be ready in a few days. In the past this had been fine but Winn had really gotten under his skin. He had a decision to make and he needed to talk to Alex and Kara first.


	5. Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So looks like this is no longer a five part story but more likely six or seven. Either way I'll hopefully have it done by the end of the weekend.

J’onn had called Alex and Kara’s school requesting to pick them up due to a family emergency. He was met by two very anxious girls when he arrived. Immediately jumping in the car and asking questions.

“What’s going on? Is Winn Ok, Why did you pick us up”, After hearing the worried tone in Alex’s voice, J’onn realised he should have used a forgotten doctor’s appointment as a reason that would have made Kara more likely to slip up that there was no such thing.

“Everything is fine I just need to talk to you about something and I thought over lunch would be good”

“Is Winn coming with us?” Kara asked

“No this is about Winn but I need to speak to you about it first”.

“Why?”, Kara sounded suspicious but the look Alex gave him suggested to J’onn that she had an idea of what the conversation was going to be about.

“Let’s just get something to eat first ok”, Kara looked a little put out that she was being made to wait but a glare from Alex meant no further questions were asked. 

Half an hour later after an unsuallt quiet car ridethe three of them found themsleves in a booth at their favourite diner.It was Alex who started the questioning barely five seconds after the waitress took their order.

“What’s going on J'onn?”

He took a deep breath before starting 

“A placement has been found for Winn, It’s a group home on the other side of the city”.

“That news has never caused you to pull us out of school for lunch”, Alex looked at him suspiciously.

“I also feel like we haven’t had a kid as traumatised as Winn stay with us for a while”.

“You don’t think the group home’s a good idea, do you?”, J’onn knew Alex would see the same issue he had.

“I just think there are going to be too many kids and too much noise that’s not what he needs right now”

“You want him to stay with us longer?” Kara sounded like she was trying to hold in her excitement.

“I actually want him to stay with us on a more permanent basis”

“You wanted to ask our permission before you did anything didn’t you?”, Alex was giving him a look which proved his theory that she had known, possibly before he even did, where this conversation was going to lead and Winn may not be going anywhere anytime soon. 

“Well it does affect all of us, I didn’t want to make a decision until I discussed it with you first”, J’onn 

“I’m fine with it, I like Winn”

“Kara you like everyone”, Alex was rewarded with Kara sticking her tongue out at her

J’onn took Kara and Alex home before heading into the office to speak to Cat. He knew there was no real point in taking them back to school Alex would have been fine but Kara would have been too excited to concentrate on anything. Letting them spend the rest of the day at home was the best for everyone, J’onn knew Kara’s teachers would likely agree if they new the reason for keeping her home. 

Cat looked a little concerned when he arrived, he’d not really given any details on the phone as to why he was suddenly coming in. “It’s nothing to worry about”, Cat’s look went from concerned to curious at his statement. 

“Let’s talk in my office”, Cat cut to the chase as soon as they were both sat down, “What’s going on J’onn?”

J’onn knew there was no point in dragging it out, “I don’t think its in Winn’s best interests to move into that group home. He’s having nightmares over what he’s going to go through next. He was finally starting to open up, but knowing he’s going to have to move soon seems to have taken him back to how he first arrived last week”.

J’onn was surprised to see Cat smiling at him, “This kid got to you, didn’t he?”

“He really has, the only other kids that have got to me this badly are Alex and Kara and they were practically family already. Winn just doesn’t seem to have found a placement that works for him”.

“You think that placement could be with you don’t you” Cat didn’t look opposed to the idea which J’onn was relieved by, “What happened to no longterm placements”, J’onn could hear an amused tone in her voice.

“Well that rule made sense when the girls were younger but I think its time to reconsider”

“I guess this means you would be taking a break from taking any other emergency placements for a while”

“I take it you approve”, J’onn was hoping he still sounding professional, but now the decision was being made, he was worried that although this was what he and the girls, and Cat believed to be in Winn’s best interests Winn may not feel the same and may not want to stay with them. J’onn would have to cross that bridge later when he revealed to Winn the developments in his case. He really hoped Winn wanted to stay. 

“I do approve, I think you’re right J’onn group homes have never been the best experience for Winn”, Cat pulled up a file on her computer and started typing. J’onn figured she was making the adjustments to Winn’s circumstances. “I’ve made a note on his file, I’ll also notify the group home that Winn won’t be arriving as expected”.

“Maybe hold off on that one until after I’ve spoken to Winn. I don’t want to force him to stay with us if he doesn’t want to”

“J’onn, I doubt Winn won’t want to stay”, Cat turned away from her screen to look at him, “but if it makes you feel better about it I’ll wait for your confirmation”

“Thanks Cat I appreciate you agreeing to this”, 

“I was never going to say no to a request like this J’onn, for any child that passed through your door”, J’onn knew Cat was being sincere. He suspected she knew that a child would go from temporary to permanent at some point in his role. 

J’onn left the offices feeling a lot happier about the situation. He had been a but worried that Cat would have said no. That Winn had to move. Now he just had to approach the subject with Winn. He called the girls when he got back to his car letting them know Cat had agreed to let Winn stay and suggesting that they disappear for an hour or so before he returned with Winn to allow J’onn to talk to him without them there. J’onn new as much as Winn got on with Alex and especially Kara he didn’t want Kara’s excited energy to be misinterpreted by Winn. He had his own nerves to keep in check.


	6. Chapter Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the final chapter thanks for reading. Hope you've enjoyed it.

J’onn had done well to act as normal as possible when picking Winn up, going through his usual routine of asking him how his day was. Winn seemed happier than he had that morning but he looked pretty tired after the events of the night before. Winn looked a bit confused when they arrived home to an empty house. 

“I asked the girls to head out for a while so that we could talk”, J’onn felt terrible as he saw Winn’s face fall. He took a seat on one of the sofas and waited for Winn to do the same, He opted to sit on the furthest side of the other placing as much distance between them as possible. “They’ve found a place at a group home which will be ready for you in a few days”.

“I knew you’d send me away”, Winn’s voice was quiet and he sounded defeated.

“That’s not what’s happening Winn, what I wanted to talk to you about was to ask if that was something you wanted”, J’onn watched Winn’s expression turn from defeated back to confused.

“I hate group homes but its not like I have a choice”

“Actually, you do. I’ve spoken to the girls and to Cat Grant and we’re all in agreement that you can stay here. If you wanted to”, J’onn held his breath anxious of Winn's response.

“I could stay here?”

“You can, but only if you want to”

“For how long?”

“As long as you like. We’re not going to send you away Winn. Not unless you decide you’ve had enough of us”, J’onn thought he’d got a pretty good handle on Winn’s facial expressions but he was struggling to read it now. 

“You mean that?”, Winn still seemed unsure of what was happening like he didn’t believe what J’onn was telling him

“I do Winn, we want you to stay”, J’onn hoped his sincerity was cutting through Winn’s trust issues. 

J’onn wasn’t sure how it happened but one moment Winn was on the sofa and the next he had his arms wrapped around him in a hug. It took a few seconds for J’onn to hug him back. He seemed to feel all of the tension bleed out of Winn as he fully relaxed for the first time since arriving. J’onn just hugged him tighter. 

Winn had calmed down by the time Alex and Kara had returned home. Kara immediately confronted Winn needing to know his answer.

“Are you going to stay with us”, Kara had pulled Winn into a hug as soon as he’d confirmed that he was indeed going to stay with them for the foreseeable future. J’onn watched in amusement but was also standing by to rescue Winn if needed. Winn just hugged Kara back and J’onn was suddenly hit with the prospect of what trouble they would get into. He had a feeling he had a few sleepless nights in his future. 

Alex gave Winn the same treatment and as much as J’onn knew Alex cared about Winn he had a feeling the combination of both Kara and Winn idolising her as their Big Sister would occasionally wear thin. J’onn decided to not focus too much on the future for now and focus in helping Winn settle in properly. They’d think about the other stuff later.

The first few weeks had been tougher than he expected. Even with all the assurances, Winn still couldn’t seem to fully let his guard down and that J’onn suddenly change his mind being able to stay indefinitely. Six months on however everything seemed to have settled down and J’onn almost forgot what life was like before Winn had arrived. 

Getting used to a new school hadn’t been the challenge J’onn had expected but he suspected that having Alex around meant Winn felt protected and safe from any potential bullies that came his way. Winn had also been placed in appropriate classes for some of his subjects and J’onn was glad this seemed to be working well.

Winn had also managed to make friends outside of Alex and Kara. From what J’onn understood about James he was in the same class as Alex and had also taken it upon himself to look out for Winn. He’d also somehow managed to convinced Winn to help out on the school paper, his tech skills coming in handy and J’onn was glad Winn was getting involved in extracurricular activities to keep him occupied outside of his school work. 

Then there was Mike who also encouraged Winn to actually go out have fun and act like a normal teenager. Even if this meant he’d gotten Winn into a little bit of trouble on more than one occasion. J’onn knew it wasn’t that Mike went looking for trouble he just had a way of not reading situations brilliantly well which J’onn found, after he did a little bit of digging, was likely due to his very sheltered upbringing earlier in life before moving to National city.

Alex had also been right in her assumption that Winn might turn out to be a talker. Slowly and surely he had opened up to them more and more and J’onn no longer had any difficulty in having conversations and his personality had really started to make itself known. J’onn also suspected this was partly because he had made sure that Winn was able to get some professional help to make sense of his past and deal with any lingering fear and anxiety over his current situation. J’onn felt like there were still possibly a few difficult times ahead but for now he knew everything was going to work out and that Winn was exactly where he should be.


End file.
